In 1100, one year before the shutdown of the 3.0 server, the War of the Victoria's Three Kingdoms was nearly over. Felix ended his vacation in Maris-thar and came to northern Sami. The land here still carried the footprints of ancient warriors. The corrupted earth had returned to its original state, and the traces of the previous war were buried beneath layer after layer of snow.
Felix felt a sense of relief. At last, the nightmare demons and the Observers that had haunted the hearts of the Terrans were gone.
Stepping into the joint research institute of Kazdel and Rhine Lab, he found the researchers there dressed in heavy ski suits. Since most scientific expeditions required fieldwork, some had simply established a temporary research center directly in the snowfield, immersing themselves in this continent that Terrans had rarely ever set foot upon.
"Felix~ You're here~"
Muelsyse rushed forward and threw her arms around Felix, a satisfied smile on her face. "Kristen knows why you've come. She's waiting for you behind the Stargate."
"By the way, how is the investigation of the second satellite beyond the Stargate going?"
"Mm... it's also a world that has already been corrupted." At the mention of Talos-II, Muelsyse visibly shuddered. She pursed her lips. "That aura felt very similar to that of the demons, or perhaps some kind of enemy that interferes with the laws of nature... Mm, I'd really like to ask Little Blue and the others to look into it."
"Alright. You can speak to Little Blue directly."
Little Blue, the central figure among the Seaborn, was currently living in an apartment in Kazdel, exploring the world that so fascinated the Seaborn. The remaining Seaborn still lived within the flames beneath his feet, so it would not be any trouble at all for Little Blue to make the trip.
"Speaking of the Seaborn, it seems a messenger has arrived from Aegir," Felix said belatedly. "But I forgot about it for a moment. It seems she has already been staying at the Kazdel embassy for several days."
"Wouldn't Aegir's messenger be terrified after being ignored for that long?"
Muelsyse put herself in Aegir's position, then shook her head again and again. "I feel like I wouldn't even be able to eat properly every day. Aegir didn't take part in the Terra Alliance's war, and now Iberia and the other neighboring countries barely have any contact with them."
"Iberia is also preparing to submit to Kazdel. To be honest, I'm a little surprised they were able to make that decision. After all, the Seaborn were their enemies for hundreds of years. And yet they were able to let go so quickly."
"Hey, but I remember you got a new secretary, didn't you, Felix? Irene, right? She's from Iberia."
"She was sent by Saint Carmen. Right now, she's still working under Ines."
Felix drove the snowmobile toward the Stargate. The entire area had been fenced off and placed under strict guard by Kazdel's Soldiers. No one was allowed to enter without authorization.
After confirming their identities, Felix and Muelsyse passed through the Stargate hand in hand.
Once the dizziness faded, the world around Talos-II gradually came into focus. The area surrounding the Stargate had already been transformed into a highly organized industrial and research base, with members of Tomorrow's Developments in uniform hurrying back and forth.
This was Talos-II's research base, and also the industrial base Felix had established there. The scientific side had been left to Kristen and the others, while on the industrial side, Felix was making his first attempt to use the resources currently available to build, from scratch, a fleet capable of sailing into the sea of stars.
With new resources and the experience gained from building battleships, the automated machines were already assembling various components according to the blueprints. It might not be long before a massive interstellar warship, roughly one hundred meters in size and shaped somewhat like a castle or cathedral battleship, could be completed.
"Kristen, have you found anything?"
The blonde woman turned around, her eyes filled with shock and wonder. "I have observed many mysterious celestial phenomena, and they will greatly expand our knowledge in the field of astronomy. But what is even more astonishing is that we have observed traces of a place that may contain life."
"How much do you know about it?"
"We are still in the earliest stage of exploration. We are currently trying to replicate the Arc Light One launch platform and the Garden of Myriad Stars here. Once the Garden of Myriad Stars is launched, our detection range will increase dramatically, and at that point, finding a planet with life should no longer be difficult."
Kristen stepped forward and placed a set of Milky Way photographs on the table. Felix picked them up, and his eyes narrowed slightly. Though the images were blurry, he could still make out what that small planet, tinged in blue and green, truly was...
Earth.
"A remarkable discovery." Felix nodded in approval. "This is enough to influence Terra's future technology and development. Whatever you need, just let me know."
"Of course. I already submitted the necessary funding request to you through Yara, though it seems Ines approved it first." Kristen smiled faintly, waved to Felix, and then turned to leave together with Saria, who had been standing silently by, presumably on her way to oversee the reconstruction of Arc Light One.
"Does the expedition team have any follow-up reports?"
"Yes. The expedition team discovered that Originium also exists on Talos-II, and there are native lifeforms here as well. However, some of these creatures are highly aggressive toward us, and their appearances are quite unusual. Please, take a look at these images." Magallan led Felix into the expedition team's conference room and showed him the photographs of the creatures.
"These things remind me of Sankta... no, perhaps I should say angels," Felix said as he stared at the strange beings in the images, each with a halo above its head.
"Yes, though we still do not know whether these creatures can communicate, or what exactly their biological structure is," Magallan continued. "At the same time, we have also found traces of corruption in certain regions of Talos-II. Demons exist here as well, though their numbers are far lower than on Terra. Our speculation is that the demons here may be unable to seize the bodies of other creatures and assimilate them into the demonic entity."
"There are no intelligent lifeforms here yet, at least none comparable to the Terrans, but we will not stop our exploration."
Felix gave a slight nod. "I'll have Little Blue make the trip. Demons are not something that can simply be observed as ordinary creatures or natural phenomena, so any such potential threat should be eliminated as early as possible."
"Understood."
Magallan left, and Felix took the compiled report from Muelsyse. "The construction of the Talos-II base has reached its initial completion. The permanent population here has now reached fifty thousand, most of them scientists and workers. I'll send another batch of people over for further development. This will be our first real step into the unknown stars."
This was undoubtedly high-dimensional outer space. The photograph Kristen had handed him stirred something deep inside Felix. He had seen the familiar Earth, the Earth that only came to him in midnight dreams. How could he not be moved?
Perhaps...
perhaps he really could go home now.
Muelsyse gently rubbed at Felix's brow, softly humming an unfamiliar song behind him.
Felix turned his gaze toward the woman before him and suddenly smiled, making Muelsyse blush faintly as she asked in a playful tone, "Why are you suddenly smiling at me like that?"
"It just occurred to me... maybe we should just get married already."
"Ah?"
Muelsyse's eyes instantly filled with tears. She stared blankly at Felix for a moment, then suddenly threw herself into his arms, burying herself in his scent.
"It's so sudden... but I love it so much. I really, really love it."
"Didn't we already agree that the wedding would happen after the war?"
Felix gently wrapped his arms around Muelsyse's body. "Now that I think about it, the time has come. When we return to Kazdel, we'll start preparing it. It's time for me to give all of them an answer."
"But what if someone else falls for Felix later?"
"My heart is as large as Infy Icefield, but it is also small."
Felix held Muelsyse's hand. "With all of you here, that is enough."
"Felix~"
Muelsyse could not stop herself from biting at Felix's lips, her eyes overflowing like spring water. In the next instant, she let out a startled gasp as Felix swept her into his arms and carried her toward the bedroom.
After a night of tenderness and passion, Felix felt that he and Muelsyse were probably the first couple ever to do something like that on the second satellite.
Time flowed differently on Talos-II than it did on Terra. One hour on Talos-II was equivalent to three hours on Terra. That meant Felix had been away only a few days by his own reckoning, but more than a week had already passed on Terra.
He hurried back to Kazdel with Muelsyse, and as they climbed the steps of the Kazdel Capitol, they noticed a woman with short blue hair and somewhat fashionable clothes sitting quietly in the waiting area of the lobby. Felix glanced at her, then led Muelsyse up toward the office floor. Outside his office, he spotted Irene, dressed in the Office Lady uniform of Tomorrow's Developments.
"That outfit suits you very well."
"Your Highness!" Irene exclaimed in surprise, then smiled faintly. "Thank you for the compliment."
"How has Saint Carmen been lately?"
"Although he has been somewhat downcast, he still sits in the Inquisition every day. I heard that he wants to carry out reforms so that Iberia's future can move closer to Kazdel."
"By the way, Your Highness..." Irene lowered her voice slightly. "When you came upstairs, did you happen to see a messenger from Aegir?"
"Aegir's messenger?"
"Yes. Her name is Clementia, and she is one of Aegir's technology governors. She has been in Kazdel for half a month now and hopes to meet you," Irene explained. In the end, she added, "Aegir is a country ruled by multiple governors. Now that the technology governor has come in person, perhaps Aegir has changed its previous stance."
"Then let's meet her." Felix nodded. "Irene, come with me. You'll join me when we meet this governor."
Irene smiled and agreed.
Muelsyse rubbed against Felix for a while. "I can tell that girl seems to have quite a bit of affection for you, Felix. Are you sure you don't want to accept her?"
"You actually want me get another one?"
"Oh my. Anyway, Felix, you're already the Liberation King. I remember Yan had hundreds of concubines. Now that Kazdel is so powerful, we can't exactly fall behind Yan in that regard, can we?" Muelsyse blinked and breathed softly against Felix's ear. "Even so, I'm still a little jealous~ I'll come to your room after I take a shower tonight~"
Perhaps because of the promise of marriage, Muelsyse looked especially radiant. She jumped up, waved at Felix, and then headed off toward Kazdel's Technology Park.
Irene and Clementia entered the conference room at the same time. This was the second time Felix had seen this intellectual-looking woman with short blue hair. She wore a white robe that looked like a fusion of a sorcerer's robe and a scientist's coat. Felix also noticed that Clementia secretly let out a sigh of relief the moment she saw him.
Although making Aegir's envoy wait had not originally been Felix's intention, the result now was quite good.
In this meeting, it was Aegir that needed to feel uneasy.
"It is an honor to meet you, Your Highness, Liberation King. I am Clementia, one of Aegir's technology governors. It is a great pleasure to meet you." Clementia smiled, bowed, and then took her seat.
"It is a pleasure to meet you as well, Clementia. Though I must say, this meeting comes rather late. I would have been even more pleased if it had happened six months ago."
Clementia's lips stiffened slightly. Six months ago, the great war had only just begun...
At the very start of the meeting, the Liberation King had already made clear his dissatisfaction with Aegir, and that left Clementia with a bitter feeling. Aegir had always stood in the dominant position and had even secretly believed that it ought to be the one ruling the nations of Terra. The gap between reality and those expectations was still difficult for the people of Aegir to accept. The stubbornness of those governors left Clementia unable to see where Aegir's future truly lay.
"Your Highness... I am deeply ashamed. Aegir made the wrong judgment and misunderstood Terra's situation. That was our mistake." Clementia admitted it calmly. After all, there was no point denying something that could not be denied. It was better to acknowledge it honestly here and now.
"Since you were wrong, then what compensation will Aegir offer to Terra?"
Felix's tone remained calm. "Among all the nations of Terra, only Aegir chose to remain aloof. It is true that you have reason to be proud of possessing technology from a previous civilization. But now, you are no longer the only nation or power that possesses such technology. The whole of Terra has already entered an age of rapid technological growth. So tell me, what exactly does Aegir still have now?"
It was no secret that Kazdel had shared pre-civilization technological knowledge with other nations. Clementia was already breaking out in sweat. This was a direct blow to Aegir, which had always believed its technology stood above that of all other Terran nations.
In the storms of the coming era, what ability did Aegir still possess, and what confidence did it have, to stand shoulder to shoulder with the nations of Terra?